For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
In verse 4, Paul had finished telling us that sexual immorality, filthy talking, and crude joking were not to be found among us as Christians.
Now in verse 5 he says that there is something we may be sure of. We can be confident of a particular truth. What is that truth? Read the verse. Everyone. Let that word sink in. Everyone who is sexually immoral or unclean or covetous (which is the same thing as idolatry) has no inheritance in the kingdom of God.
Now we can try to skirt around this in any number of ways, but I don’t think there is a way of dodging it.
How can this be. Aren’t we all sinners? Putting this verse together with the rest of the New Testament, I think we can say a couple of things. First, I think this has to do with a way of life and not with momentary temptations and transgressions. Any of us can be tripped up by any number of things. As Christians, all of our sins are forgiven — past, present, and future.
For example, if we are tempted with and fall into a sexually immoral sin, this does not mean we are living in a sexually immoral lifestyle.
We have to be careful though, because we are so susceptible to self-deception. We can commit a sin here, and then another there and continue in that pattern and then tell ourselves that we aren’t immoral, when in fact that is our behavior pattern.
John tells us in his first epistle that a person who has been born of God does not practice sin (1 John 3:6-10). So don’t let yourself be deceived. If you are living a sinful lifestyle, no matter what you have professed about your faith, your deeds betray you. If that is the case with you, you need to go to God, admit the sinful nature of your life, repent of that sin, and accept Christ’s forgiveness.
When you are born again, you will have new motivations, the law of God written on your heart, a new heart, and the Holy Spirit, all of which will work against the sin that has been defeating you in the past.
Your love for God’s word will grow, your desire to be with God’s people will increase. Your desire to keep your communication with God strong through prayer will become a central part of your character and life. All of these will help maintain the victory that the new birth brings.
It is only through the rebirth of your spirit that you can be assured that you will inherit the kingdom of God. Professions and commitments are meaningless if your being has not been transformed by the saving work of Christ.
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:09 AM April 19, 2021.